Photoacoustic measurement is based on the tendency of molecules in a gas, when exposed to certain wavelengths of radiant energy (e.g. infrared light), to absorb the energy and reach higher levels of molecular vibration and rotation, thereby reaching a higher temperature and pressure within a measurement cell. When the radiant energy striking a gas is amplitude modulated at a known frequency, the resulting fluctuations in energy available for absorption produce corresponding temperature and pressure fluctuations in the gas, which can be measured as an acoustic signal. The amplitude of the acoustic signal is proportional to the intensity of the radiation and the concentration value of the absorbing gas. Such devices can be used to measure small concentration values of gases in a sample.